Business Across Cultures: The Appearance of Understanding

Globalization has been the buzzword of international business for a great
many years. As international markets coalesce into unified trade zones,
the individual marketplaces of developing countries are exposed to transnational
pressures. Some Asian countries are pulling back from such perceived threats
of international contagion. Fortunately, Indonesia is still continuing to
open up its markets to world enterprise.

Multi-national companies
often post senior executives to Indonesia who have a highly developed
global outlook. Such multi-national managers with a generalist viewpoint
toward international business may overlook the necessity of developing
a local perspective in their host countries. Indonesia is one of those
countries in which the home office perspective of corporate priorities
may not serve as the most effective approach toward productivity and effectiveness.

Indonesian managers usually place an emphasis on harmony, understanding,
and mutual respect. Some say that such concerns outweigh job performance
and productivity.

Successful expatriate managers in Indonesia understand that issues
of importance to the majority of their staff are not lightly ignored.
Those feelings and concepts must at least be understood by an expatriate
executive for him or her to be successful in their posting; they must
be incorporated into the third corporate culture established in Indonesia
for the company to be productive, be successful, and meet the bottom line
goals of the home office.

One of the benefits of having all cultural sides of an office or organization
take the time to sit down and discuss their expectations of the others'
sides in a facilitated manner is a greater understanding of the cultural
barriers found in that office or organization. This understanding leads
to the building of the successful third corporate culture. One that may
not be effective or even accepted in the corporate home country, but one
that functions well in Indonesia.

All cultural sides must make the effort to understand, of course,
but in this column I want to stress the expectations of many senior Indonesian
managers.

Below are some actual comments made by the Indonesian managers in
a recent EOS cross-cultural team building program. The comments arose
during the separate orientation sessions and were identified as areas
of concern worthy of discussion with their Western counterparts.

Westerners should make an effort to learn - and implement - the
culture, taboos, and language of their Indonesian colleagues.

Westerners should avoid the use of strong or rude language which
could set a bad example for the workers.

Westerners should not assume that Indonesians can follow or understand
their discourse. Make sure instructions are slow, clear, repeat them,
avoid slang.

Westerners should have a willingness to bend or make exceptions
to the policy, not alter it, for individual cases and cultural needs,
(e.g., time off for cemetery visits before Ramadhan, weddings, attending
funerals).

These can be condensed down to a few general areas, namely: Cultural
Awareness; Politeness; Proper Communication; and, Understanding. Expatriate
managers need to be aware that actions and decisions in these areas that
appear insensitive or arbitrary to the Indonesian staff are going to cause
resentment more quickly and to a greater degree than in other areas.

Indonesian managers can be expected to make many adjustments to working
in an international company. Scheduling and deadlines, punctuality, giving
bad news, and taking responsibility are areas where most Indonesian managers
agree that following Western management techniques is important. However,
if a company needs to make regulations about prayer times or other religious
obligations, for example, great care is required in how such regulations
are presented and enforced.

Sensitivity to the needs of employees is a management area that is
seldom stressed in most Western business cultures where efficiency, productivity
and effectiveness rule. For expatriate managers to be successful here
in Indonesia, it is important that they incorporate into their management
styles the outward appearance of caring about and understanding the basic
cultural values held by their Indonesian co-workers. This active, outward
appearance is a key to building effective and productive cross-cultural
working relationships.

This article was generously contributed by George B. Whitfield III when he was a Technical Advisor with Executive
Orientation Services.